Severe child sex abuse: study

2009-10-06 22:15

Geneva - Some five per cent of boys and up to 10% of girls in rich nations suffer from severe sexual abuse during childhood, the UN Children's Fund said in a report released on Tuesday.

Up to three times that proportion experience some form of sexual abuse in industrialised countries, Unicef's report on child protection added, citing a study in the medical journal The Lancet.

"It is estimated that throughout the course of their childhood, five to 10% of girls and up to five per cent of boys suffer penetrative sexual abuse," its report "Progress for Children" said.

One in 10 neglected

One child in 10 is neglected or psychologically abused, about 80% of the time by a parent or guardian, it added.

Unicef warned that while the issue of physical and sexual abuse of children had gained prominence in recent years, insufficient attention was paid to the harm done by neglect and emotional abuse.

Parents who abused their children were often trapped in mental problems, alcohol or drug abuse, poverty, as well as their own experience of mistreatment in childhood, according to the report.

It underlined that not enough was known about the extent of abuse against children but the evidence suggested that it was extensive.

Profoundly disturbing

"The number of children exposed to violence, exploitation and abuse all over the world is profoundly disturbing," the report said.

The report also highlighted the 150 million 5 to 14 year-olds who are believed to be locked in child labour, mainly as a result of poverty.

It also found that more than half the children in detention worldwide had not been tried or sentenced.

"Millions of children" were subject to trafficking, deprived of parental care or the basic conditions to obtain healthcare or reach school, further blighting societies and their future progress, the agency said.

"Understanding the extent of abuses of children's rights is a first step to building an environment where children are protected and have the opportunity to reach their full potential," said Unicef Executive Director Ann Veneman in a statement.

- SAPA